nerve damage

hello folks, wondering if someone could help.

a while a go i injured my neck which resulted in me having pain on the top of my left scapula which sent pain and pins and needles down my left arm all the way tomy fingers.
it also caused muscle weakness on my left side that means i can't bench or press heavy as my arm shakes and can't take the load.

i am seeing a physio who has me doing static contraction exercises and doing tissue massage via placing a ball under my shoulder and rolling around on it.

Usual disclaimers apply - I haven't seen you myself, so I can only give you very general advice to go on. A few more questions:

How long has it been going on for?
Has it generally got better, worse or stayed the same? In particular, is the muscle weakness getting better or worse?
Have you seen your GP about it yet, and if so how did you get on?

i've done the same injury twice, overall i would say the past six to eight weeks on the timeframe.
the first time i did it i was able to get over it by doing extra work on the injured side with various one armed dumbell movements but to no avail with this occurence.
the muscle weakness has stayed the same, the exercises the physio give me pump blood into the area thus reducing the pain though i still get numbness in the arm while driving and after benching.

i went to see my GP who gave me a whole cornucopia of painkillers which to tell you the truth scares me.

Please don't take any of this as a diagnosis - it's just general advice based on the symptoms you've told me.

The most likely possibility here is that there may be some damage to one of the discs in your neck, which is compressing the nerve. This can be a particularly painful injury, and often takes a while to resolve (12 weeks or more isn't unusual). Much of the time, it will get better on its own or with exercise / manual therapy.

Sometimes, though, it needs surgery. The difficulty is knowing when to seriously consider that as an option. It's not without it's own risks and complications though and doesn't always fix the problem.

The thing that would concern me in your case is the muscle weakness which isn't improving. It may be worth going back to the GP and mentioning this - if it continues to be a problem they may consider referring you to a consultant. You could discuss this with your physio, who might be able to write to your GP (this sometimes helps with the communication).

In the meantime, (the right kind of) exercises to maintain strength are good. However, you might want to reconsider whether or not the bench press is doing more good than harm at this point.

Thanks , I'm seeing my physio Saturday . If there's still no improvement ill do what you say and have him right a note to my gp.
I can do push ups on the arm but open chain exercises like dumbell presses , shoulder presses or benching are the ones I have problems with . All my pulling movements are fine .

Ongoing weakness suggests that you probably ought to see a neurologist. See your GP about a referral. Agreed that a herniated disc or direct brachial plexus injury sound like the most likely differentials.

Hey there, These type of injuries are common amongst NFL and wrestlers called "stingers" probablies from a compacted shunt to the top the head.
"neuropraxia" in the other words it most likey isnt a herniated disc (touch wood) but the area around the transverse process is chronically inflamed causing a irritated nerve root ot compression. When the inflammation finally subsides nerves have something called latency which bascially means they may transmit the feeling of pain even though they are no longer irritated. In a more simple term think of a stress ball and if squeezed it will take time to return to normal even though you left go a while ago.
In treatment terms a herniation should always be ruled out but the neck should be kept moving. PS if any bladder or bowel movements become difficult to control or the loss of leg sensation occurs go straight to A and E.
Also positive thinkin great way to assit healing
good luck

It's always good to get different perspectives regarding these things. I tend to see persistent weakness as more likely to be indicative of a disc problem rather than a "stinger" - but would be interested to hear if your experience is different.